How I Spent my Summer Vacation

Colorado, I love thee.  I just returned from a nine-day trip in the direction of Colorado and New Mexico.  I'm glad to be home, but it's strange to be indoors.  I came home a day early so I'd have some decompression time before returning to work tomorrow.  The next two weeks are going to be Crazy Time because I need to move to Midland, TX to start a new assignment on July 19th.  This involves the processes of selling my old house, cleaning it, repairing it, packing stuff that I don't want the movers to take, supervising the mover packing, holding a bye-bye BBQ at my house, picking a new house in Midland and getting the closing process started, finding a temp place to live in Midland, etc. etc.  Oh yeah -- and finishing up the old job, leaving everyone happy, and starting up a new job and making a bunch of new people happy.  Or at least finding them oil.  Or, barring that, at least drilling some wells faster, cheaper and safer.  But in the reverse order, of course!

Soon, I will post my fav Colorado pics, probably on Facebook because it's about 1000 times easier to post batches of pics on FB than here on Blogger.  Speaking of, my mom has started a blog (hi mom!) called "Plants Amaze Me".  She and her sister (aka Aunt Marie) spend 1-2 days a week traveling around West Michigan looking for parks, nature preserves and public lands of all sorts.  They often discover some interesting and truly off-the-beaten-path places.  In those places they search for unique forms of plant and animal life, and they usually find it.  Mom and Aunt Marie seem to like to traipse around in marshy, muddy, swampy areas.  So, if you like my blog (and who doesn't?), then check out Plants Amaze Me, which is linked to over there on the right.

It will give you something to do while you wait for those pics from CO and NM.  Meantime, here is my general itinerary from the trip:

Sat: drive to Midland, TX; look at houses for five hours w/ Realtor

Sun: drive to Nat Forest outside Las Vegas, NM; hike and camp

Mon: drive to Taos Ski Valley, NM; hike to Williams Lake; get altitude sickness; camp at BLM place on the Rio Grande; hike to Red River

Tues: drive to Monte Vista, CO ranger office; get tons of info and maps; drive to Creede, CO, decided to hike 14er next day; camp in remote campground; hike partway to Wheeler Geologic Area.

Wed: hike San Luis Peak, 14014'.  My (and Sabkha's) first 14er.  Got terrible altitude sickness and barely made it back to the car.  Toughest physical challenge of my life.  Eat pizza in Creede.  Camp.

Thurs: Oil change in Monte Vista.  Drive to Crestone, CO.  Eat.  Short hike with Sabkha in horrid mosquito conditions.

Fri: Great Sand Dunes Natl Park; dune climb; burned feet and paws; Zapata Falls (cool!); BLM marsh (closed), ogling Blanca Peak from afar; chasing T-storms; return to dunes after big storm... wet sand!, back to Crestone.

Sat: Bfast in Alamosa (one of only three restaurant meals entire trip = bringing well-stocked cooler is worth it), drive through lovely Spanish Peaks -- amazing radial dikes "Great Dikes", hiked OHV trail, depart for home; drive to Amarillo, TX; see amazing frontal system on the way.

Sun: drive home to Houston, back ~7 PM.